Libya: Hope for its people and for eager travelers

While it’s far too early to start packing bags – and maybe a tad insensitive to even suggest — but I have to confess that one of my first thoughts about the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya was of traveling there.

Steve Heuser / The Boston Globe

Yes, the country is still shell-shocked (in every sense of the phrase), and yes it will take some time for the rebel leaders to form a stable situation, but for the first time in decades there is a glimmer of hope for travelers that one of the most fascinating countries on the planet might finally be reliably accessible.

A map of the North African country is a history book of great ancient Greek and Roman cities, considered by some the best collection in the Mediterranean. (Impressive for a country that is 90 percent covered by the Saharan sands.) Among them, according to Lonely Planet:

Leptis Magna: “Regarded as the best Roman site in the Mediterranean, Leptis Magna’s spectacular architecture and massive scale will impress even the most ruin-weary traveller.” (Pictured above.)

Cyrene: “Founded by Greek settlers from the island of Thera (modern Santorini) in 631 BC, Cyrene was the pre-eminent city of the Greek world in the 4th century BC. … It ranks as the best preserved of the Greek cities of Cyrenaica, with its temples, tombs, agora, gymnasium and theatre originally modelled on those at Delphi.”

Gurgi Mosque: “Built in the 19th century and was the last mosque built in Tripoli under the Turks. Although quite small, its interior is the most beautiful in the city. The main prayer hall contains imported marble pillars from Italy, ceramic tilework from Tunisia and intricate stone carvings from Morocco.”

Gadhafi’s fall offers hope for the people of Libya, as well as for those who would like to travel there to experience the culture and ancient wonders, although the U.S. State Department is rightly quick to point out that Libya borders a few countries with less-than-stable situations of their own, including Sudan, Chad, Niger and Algeria.

If and when the borders become more open, allowing eager travelers to finally get to the ancient remains of fallen empires, I’ll be curious to see if travelers will clamber to see the ruins of another fallen empire — Gadhafi’s.

Does the successful rebellion change your thinking about Libya as a travel destination?